Port O'Brien

Man has always been fascinated with the sea, and as long as there have been instruments, the sea has inspired countless songs of inspiration and desperation. Nautical themes have gone (no pun intended) overboard in the world of indie rock lately, but few bands have spent as much time finding their sea legs as Port O'Brien. Each summer, singer Van Pierzalowski joins his father's commercial salmon fishing boat, spending long hours casting nets for the day's catch in Alaska. The dark, folky strum of Port O'Brien surges with the sway of the salty sea air, rusty and encrusted with barnacles, and spills over, dripping with exhaustion, isolated introspection, and the inherent satisfaction of a long day spent floating with nothing but one's thoughts. GREGORY FRANKLIN